What happened next
by Lizzielynch22
Summary: Gabrielle learnt everything she knew from Xena, so the only person who could stop her from conquering the world is dead. This is the story of what happens after the season 6 finale. I wasn't happy with the way the series ended so I came up with a (hopefully) realistic way for it to end happily ever after! My first fanfiction so please be patient. Reviews more than welcome :)
1. Chapter 1

It had been five years since Xena died, five years in which she waited in Heaven, for the day that her soulmate would join her and together they would be reborn. Xena eagerly awaited the day that they would walk the earth together once again. For now, however, Xena merely waited.

She would spend her days in the light filled caves of Heaven, hoping that Gabrielle would think of her, for she could then hear her thoughts and feel her love once again. It had, however, been a while since that last happened. In the beginning it was a constant occurrence, Xena would sit next to the fountain of purification listening out for Gabrielle while watching the water play and jump over the stones. The joy that filled Xena when this happened was indescribable, she felt whole again, she could glimpse what was happening around Gabrielle and felt at peace. Then one day it just stopped.

Xena didn't know how long it had been since she had last heard or felt Gabrielle, time in Heaven had a funny way of passing, it could run so slowly it felt like a year had passed between each breath or it could run so quickly that events just blurred together.

She did know it had been a while, however, and she could feel her patience running out. Her spirit was still that of a warrior and sitting around doing nothing didn't suit her, though Archangel Michael told her there was nothing else she could do. She didn't have the power to visit earth herself and Michael insisted that he wasn't her messenger boy, no matter how much she yelled or threatened, he told her to wait.

Xena huffed in irritation, she didn't used to be a huffer, preferring to release her frustration out on some greasy bandits, but in Heaven there wasn't anything else she could do. She sat in her favourite hall of Heaven, listening to the laughter and chatter of angels and other blessed souls waiting to be reborn, the sounds of their happiness didn't do anything to improve her mood. Not for the first time she wondered if she belonged in Heaven, everyone else seemed so peaceful while she secretly hoped a fight would break out that she could break up.

She huffed again, and then stiffened, feeling his presence before seeing him. "Hello Eli, to what do I owe the pleasure?" she said while gracefully rising to greet him.

"Xena, my old friend, it has been too long! I find that I spend most of my time on Earth these days, guiding Eve in fact. She is doing very well, before you ask" he smiled serenely at Xena, waiting for her barrage of questions he knew would surely come, while hoping that she didn't notice him not answering her question.

Xena looked Eli up and down, he looked the same as he did when alive, long brown hair, trimmed beard and bright blue eyes. Now, however, he wore long white robes with gold trim, signifying his position in Heaven, gold trim allows him to enter Earth whenever he wanted, a power which Xena would give anything for, but now he seemed tense, no matter how serene his smile appeared. "What is it Eli? Something has happened hasn't it? I knew there had to be a reason that I can no longer hear Gabrielle! Is that why you have come to see me?" She asked warily, watching his every move.

"Come with me Xena, we need to talk to Michael" he sighed, turning and heading out of the hall.

Xena followed.


	2. Chapter 2

Xena laughed, "Michael, are you insane? You have the wrong person, Gabrielle would never do that!" still laughing Xena sat down. She was in Michaels rooms, sitting on a bench carved from the rock of the mountain. Eli paced next to Michael, whose black wings ruffled in agitation.

Michael was an Archangel, in fact he was the top Archangel, he protected Heaven and Earth from evil and now he had to convince Xena to help him. He looked at her, she was so beautiful, her long hair was as black as a ravens wing, her eyes bright blue like the sky, yet the most attractive part of her was her warriors spirit, even after five years in Heaven she was ready to battle at any moment, and now this was no different. "I'm serious Xena, Gabrielle has nearly conquered all of Greece, any army sent against her fail. She learnt everything from you; no one stands a chance against her. She wants to eradicate the Earth of the followers of Eli, and is at this very moment planning to kill the messenger of Eli, or as you know her, Eve, your daughter".

Xena shook her head in disbelief, she was waiting for the punchline for this has to be some sort of joke, Michael however, looked serious, he believed what he was saying. "Eli please tell Michael he's wrong, you know Gabrielle, she couldn't do something like that. She believes in peace and love, not violence or war. Plus Eve is OUR daughter, as in hers as well, not just mine! She wouldn't hurt Eve."

Eli stopped pacing and looked at Xena sadly, "Xena, what he says is true. I have seen her with my own eyes, tried to talk to her even. She won't listen; it's like she doesn't know who I am. Eve is hiding in a cave near Amphipolis but it won't be long before Gabrielle finds her. When she does I'm afraid she will kill her."

Michael could see that Xena still didn't believe them, he was growing impatient, "Xena we don't have time for this, I will show you instead." He waved his arm and in the air in front of him a circle appeared, it looked like glass.

Xena peered warily into the portal and caught her breath, she could see Gabrielle and it was like she was in the same room as her. If she stretched out her arm she could almost touch her. Xena drank in the sight of her, the short blonde hair and the rich green eyes that she knew so well. "Gabrielle" she whispered, knowing that she wouldn't be able to hear her but hoping anyway. Xena continued to gaze at her friend and soulmate, comparing the woman she could see now with the picture she had in her head and slowly noticing the differences.

Gabrielle in the portal was wearing a thick leather armour, something she never wore when Xena was alive, always preferring cloth instead. She also had a scar on her face, stretching from her left ear all the way to her mouth. These weren't the biggest changes however; the biggest change was in her eyes. They were always so warm, soft and loving, but now they were cold, hard and tense. Xena blinked away her tears, Gabrielle might look different but that didn't mean she was different.

She glance at Eli in confusion, not sure what she was supposed to be seeing and was startled by his look of revulsion. She quickly turned back to the portal and realised what she had missed earlier, she had been so distracted by the sight of Gabrielle she had missed what was going on around her. She was sat in a tent, surrounded by men in armour. Kneeling in front of her was an old man, dressed in peasant clothes, obviously a farmer of some sort. The man was crying, tears rolling down his cheeks. Xena waited for Gabrielle to comfort the man, silently begging her too. Gabrielle didn't comfort him however, she just smiled evily, the smile chilled Xenas soul, and then she spoke.

Xena froze, lost in wonder at the sound of Gabrielle's voice, but something was off about it, she sounded like her daughter Hope, evil and mean. Xena tried to block out the cruel words but couldn't.

"Stop snivelling old man, you will ruin my carpet if you carry on like that. I'm not asking for much; just tell me where the messenger is. She and I need to have a little. . . chat" Gabrielle smiled mockingly at the old man, who was now shaking on the floor.

"Please, Conqueror, I have a wife and children who depend on me. Let me go please, I don't know where the messenger is, if I did I would tell you" he pleaded.

The armoured men glanced at Gabrielle, and Xena knew why, something bad was going to happen. Xena closed her eyes, she couldn't bear what she was about to see, she heard Gabrielle draw her sword.

"Enough" she cried, "I've seen enough". The portal closed, and gone were the sounds of Gabrielle advancing on the old man.


	3. Chapter 3

"How did this happen? When did it happen?" Xena demanded, she was starting to feel like her old self, there was a problem and she was the one who had to fix it.

Michael shuffled uncomfortably, glancing at Eli, "We don't know how it happened, but it happened about a year ago. When you came to me asking about Gabrielle and the fact that you couldn't hear her thoughts anymore Eli looked into it. He couldn't find Gabrielle anywhere; this was about two years ago now. Then last year she finally emerged, leading an army into battle. We don't normally get involved in wars between mortals but when she started eradicating followers of Eli our God demanded that we act. None of our plans have succeeded so far and now we need your help."

Xena glared at Michael, she could feel the anger pumping through her veins. "You mean to tell me that you knew this whole time that something was wrong? You have been telling me to be patient and to wait, that nothing was wrong! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!" she shrieked, moving towards Michael wanting to strike him, to release her anger in her favourite way.

"Xena stop!" Eli pleaded, "We couldn't tell you, we knew that you would want to find her, and then help her. There wasn't anything you could do; we thought the knowledge would torment you, you have always been a woman of action and that isn't always possible here."

"So why tell me now? Why after all this time if I can't do anything to help my friend?" Xena spat, glaring at them both, furious that once again Gods were trying to control her.

"I told you, nothing else has worked. Now our God wants her stopped, and you're the only one that can do it." Michael stated evenly.

"Stop her? You mean kill her?" Xena replied, the realisation of what they were asking her hitting her.

"No Xena, not kill. I know you can find another way to get through to her, to change her back to our Gabrielle." Eli calmly interjected.

Xena took a calming breath, relieved that they would give her a chance to redeem her friend, not that they had had a choice, but it was easier this way. "And how exactly am I supposed to do that from here?" she asked.

"Our God has granted me the power to return you to Earth. To give you the chance to either save Gabrielle or stop her. Though there is a small catch, if you die before redeeming or stopping Gabrielle then your soul will return to the Elysian Fields to remain for the rest of eternity. You have to earn the right for your soul to be reborn, and you can only do that by saving Greece and the followers of Eli. If you succeed, however, then you can live the rest of your days on Earth and return here when you die. If you don't redeem Gabrielle then her soul will go to Hell, there is nothing I can do to change it" Michael explained solemnly. He knew that Xena would think nothing of the risk to her own soul, especially as the reward was much higher than the risk, but he knew she would be far more careful with Gabrielle's.

"So all I have to do is save Gabrielle and then I can live with her and Eve? Piece of cake. Send me back." Xena confidently replied, smiling despite herself. She had always liked a challenge.

"Very well. We will be sending you back to Amphipolis. Eve is already waiting for you; we were confident you would help us. Good luck Xena, do not fail us." Michael said as he walked towards her with Eli following on his heels. They placed a hand on each of her shoulders, Eli smiling and Michael looking grave. Xena felt a jolt through her body and then there was darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

Xena groaned, her whole body ached and she couldn't remember why. Wondering if she had been captured, she lay quietly trying to take stock of her surroundings. She didn't want to make any sudden movements, surprise was her best weapon in these situations. She cracked open an eye but couldn't make out much of anything, wherever she was it was dark and cold, really cold. She opened her eyes slightly wider hoping she could make out something around her; to see a clue as to where she was, but all she could see was a low ceiling made of rock. It was so low that if she stretched out her arm she would be able to touch it.

Xena concentrated on listening, trying to hear if anyone was near her, barely breathing so that she could catch the slightest breath of whomever she might be sharing the room with. After a few minutes of stillness and not hearing anything she decided that it was safe enough to have a look around. Tilting her head to the left she realised she was against a wall made of rough rock, it was so rough that it had to be a natural wall, a cave wall.

Before she could take in any more of her surroundings she heard footsteps to her right, heading towards her. She stilled, the footsteps were surprisingly light, those of a woman, and were hurrying quickly towards her. She held her breath, waiting until the woman was close enough to make her move and then she lunged forward and grabbed her captor by her throat, raising her fist to knock her out cold.

"Mother!" the girl choked out, clawing at Xenas hand.

"Eve?" Xena gasped, releasing her grip, "Oh Eve, is that you?" Xena gathered her daughter into a fierce hug, "I'm sorry, I didn't know." She pulled back slightly looking down at her daughter, surprised by the differences she saw there. Eve looked older, her dark brown hair was shorter and pulled to the side by a leather strap and her bright blue eyes were rimmed by red, like she had been crying. "Where are we? How did we get here?" Xena questioned, something bad must have happened for Eve to be crying, she was normally so strong.

Eve looked at Xena in confusion, "We are near Amphipolis. Don't you remember mother? Eli sent you here"

"Eli? What has Eli got to do with anything?" Xena was confused; the last thing she remembered was heading to Jappa with Gabrielle. "Gabrielle. Where is Gabrielle?"

Eve looked at her mother in horror, "You don't know? You don't remember?" tears started to flow thick and fast down Eves face, she hadn't expected this. "You…you…you died mother" she gasped, "five years ago, in Jappa."

Xena released Eve as if stung, "What? Why would you say that?"

Eve made to move towards Xena, needing to comfort her, but when Xena stepped back she stopped, trying not to feel hurt, "Mother, you died. Then something happened here and Eli came to me, saying that they were going to send you to help." Eve didn't want to mention Gabrielle, afraid that it would set Xena off.

Xenas head was hurting, she could feel a pressure building behind her eyes, "NO" Xena cried. The pressure continued to build until it felt like her head was going to explode; she could feel something running down her chin. Xena raised her hand to wipe her face and was amazed to see blood, her nose was bleeding. She fell to her knees while gripping her head to try to ease the pain. It felt like something was trying to push itself into her head and she was trying to stop it, but she wasn't sure how long she could hold it back.

"Mother?" Eve rushed forward to grab Xena shocked to see that blood was now dripping from Xenas eyes too. "Mother what's happening?" she asked worriedly.

Xena, however, could no longer hear her, she had lost her battle and now memories was rushing past her eyes, blurring together; the samurai sword falling down, stopping Gabrielle from putting her ashes into the fountain, her seemingly endless day in Heaven and then Eli and Michael coming to her and asking for help. The memories continued to spiral around her mind, disjointed and out of place, it continued for so long that Xena thought it would never end.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**

**Thank you for the reviews and follows etc. I am glad you are enjoying it! I will be updating quite regularly, every few days I hope.**

**Anyway here is chapter 5! **

…**..**

After only a few minutes, which to Xena felt like years, the pain and pressure dissipated, the flood of memories turning into a trickle until it finally stopped. Xena collapsed in relief, falling to the ground and trembling from shock. She could hear Eve worriedly calling her; feel her trying to roll her over.

"I'm ok" she shakily said, "I'm ok, I…I just need a minute." Xena pushed herself up from the floor and back on to her knees. She glanced at Eve and froze, the realisation hitting her, she had been dead for five years, she didn't think she would ever see Eve again, and yet here she was, staring at her beautiful daughter. "Oh Eve, I remember! I have missed you so much" she said while hugging Eve once again, stroking her hair as Eve sobbed into her shoulder.

"Mother, I thought I had lost you forever. I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye! I thought of you always" Eve sobbed, clutching her mother tightly; afraid that if she let go Xena would leave her again.

"I know Eve, I heard your thoughts. I was never gone though, I was always with you." Xena pulled back and gave her daughter a watery smile, wiping away Eve's tears.

"Your face mother, it is covered in blood. What happened? Did something go wrong?" Eve asked.

Xena had momentarily forgotten about her ordeal in her joy at seeing Eve, but now she remembered that she must look like she had been in yet another battle. Xena raised her hand and gingerly touched her face, the blood had stopped flowing now and was sticky, she grimaced, "No I don't think anything went wrong. I think it was my stubbornness to let the memories in. Memories are very powerful and I shouldn't have fought them the way I did. It doesn't matter though, I remember now. Tell me what has been going on here!"

Eve pulled back, "I think we should clean you up first, wait here and I will grab you a cloth and some water." Eve rose to her feet and swiftly exited the room.

Xena sighed; the ordeal had taken more out of her than she liked to admit, she could feel the aches and pains running through her body. Only when she started to look around the cave did she suddenly realise that her knees were aching from kneeling on the rocky floor. She stood up rubbing her knees and leaned against the wall, taking in her surroundings. There wasn't much to see. There was a small nook carved into the left wall, it was lined with furs and blankets and was obviously where Xena had laid and where Eve slept. The rest of the cave was circular and small, about 7ft high and 8ft in diameter. Xena closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall, Gods was she tired.

A few minutes later Xena heard Eve returning, she opened her eyes and smiled at her daughter. Eve was holding a pail of water and some clean cloth; she also had a saddlebag with her. Xena walked forward and, relieving Eve of the water and cloth, she started washing her hands and face, relishing in the coldness of the water.

"I've got you some clothes to change into Mother, I think those are ruined" Eve said, pointing to Xenas robes.

Xena looked down, surprised to see that she was wearing her Heavenly robes, but they were no longer white. They were covered in blood and dirt from the cave, "I hadn't noticed" she said truthfully.

Eve tossed her a bright blue dress, "I know it won't be much use for fighting in but it is the only thing I have that will fit you. It will do until we get you some more armour."

"Thanks" Xena replied, grimacing, she really hated dresses. Xena quickly changed, the blue dress showed a lot of cleavage and most of her back, but was full length. The dress would be a nightmare to fight in but there wasn't much Xena could do about it. Promising that she would splash out on some new armour as soon as she could Xena joined eve in the centre of the cave.

While Xena had been cleaning up Eve had started making some food, guessing correctly that her mother must be famished. She pulled out, from her saddlebag, a small frying pan and some fish wrapped in leaves, and started frying the fish over a small fire pit in front of her.

"Are you ever going to tell me what has been going on?" Xena bit out impatiently.

Eve smiled dryly, "Patient as always mother, can I finish cooking first?"

Xena was starting to feel irritated, "No, you can cook and talk. I need to know what happened Eve."

Eve sighed, "You probably know the beginning better than me Mother. I was in Chin spreading the word of Eli and the last I heard you and Gabrielle were headed to Jappa. A few moons later Gabrielle tracked me down and told me you had died" here Eves lip began to tremble, "I didn't know you were dead for month's mother, I had no idea."

"Eve…" Xena began but was cut off by Eve raising her hand. Eve busied herself with handing out the fish and they ate in silence for a few minutes.

"Gabrielle stayed with me for a few weeks" Eve said eventually, "She was a wreck mother, she seemed so empty. I have never seen her like that before, but she was determined. We went our separate ways; I continued to travel through Chin while she headed for Egypt. Over the next three years I got letters from her quite regularly, she still seemed sad but was doing well. Then two years ago she said she was heading back to Greece, she was going to visit Lila in Potedia whose daughter Sarah was getting married. Gabrielle wanted me to join them but I was heading to Jappa and couldn't, I needed to see the place for myself" Eve grimaced up a Xena, "I didn't hear from her again. I didn't think much of it, you two used to disappear for months or even years at a time. Then a year ago I heard that followers of Eli were being targeted by a new Warlord who was slowly conquering Greece. I headed back to Greece to meet this warlord head on, to pass on my message of peace. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that the warlord was Gabrielle, I thought it was a joke." Eve stopped talking and gazed silently into the fire pit, watching the tendrils of smoke being emitted by it.

"What happened when she saw you?" Xena dreaded the answer but had to know.

"She didn't know me, didn't recognise me at all, just laughed when I tried to tell her that I knew her, that she had helped raise me. I could tell she was going to kill me mother, I was lucky though, some of their captives got free and it was enough of a distraction to get away. I've been here since" Eve said glumly while gesturing the cave.

Xena stood up abruptly, "Where is her camp?" she demanded.

"About a day's ride due north, you will find it." Eve replied. "When Eli told me you were returning I sent word to Virgil, he brought Argo for you, she is outside."

"Argo?" Xena asked, her eyes gleaming, she really loved that horse even if she was Argo the second.

"Yes, when you died Gabrielle sent word to Virgil and he picked her up and has looked after her since" Eve explained.

"She will be useful now." Xena smiled grimly at Eve, "I think it's time Gabrielle and I had a little chat."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**

**So after saying that I was going to be updating every few days life intervened! Sorry for the delay but I am now off work for the next few weeks for Christmas so will hopefully get a few chapters up in that time.**

**Thank you for your patience :)**

**...**

Xena was setting up camp; she was only a few miles out of her destination but had decided to wait for the cover of darkness before paying Gabrielle a visit. Xena had enjoyed her ride on Argo, she had ridden hard and had loved the feeling of the wind whipping across her face and through her hair, it had made her feel truly alive for the first time, blowing away the last tendrils of death that had clung to her, reluctant to give her up.

It was while she was rummaging through the saddle bags that Eve had packed for her that she realised that she had made a mistake. She had had plenty of food and some blankets to keep her warm, but she had forgotten to get weapons. Xena groaned at her own stupidity, she hadn't thought of anything other than her eagerness to see Gabrielle. Normally her lack of weapons wouldn't have concerned her too much, she knew she was a much better fighter than most, but she remembered just how good Gabrielle had gotten in the last few years of their travelling together, and she had had five years since then to hone her skills. Strolling into her camp without armour or weapons seemed foolish.

Xena would have to come up with a new plan. To help her think she decided to groom Argo, she had always found the task relaxing and hoped that it was help clear her mind. After a couple of minutes she realised that the task wasn't having its desired effect. She was too wired; she could feel the anticipation of seeing Gabrielle thrumming through her body. Xena threw the brush she was using on the ground in frustration causing Argo to spook; she immediately regretted her actions and quickly soothed her horse.

It was as she was calming Argo that she heard the snap of a twig behind her, Xena tensed and strained her hearing. There were two people sneaking up on her camp, she was sure she was far away from Gabrielle's camp to avoid any scouts but she must have been closer than she thought. Xena smiled, a plan formulating in her mind, and forced herself to relax. She continued stoking Argo waiting for the guards to announce themselves.

"What's a pretty lady like you doing all the way out here by yourself?" a gruff voiced asked.

Xena spun around, trying to act surprised. Two men were standing in front of her. They were both wearing leather armour, but that was the only similarity between the two. One was short but burly looking, with greasy black hair matted into dreadlocks. The other was tall and gangly with short blonde hair and looked surprisingly clean. The short one took a step forward, "I asked you a question" he growled menacingly, he was obviously the leader of the two.

"Sorry, I was just overcome by your good looks", Xena snapped, instantly cursing her short temper, if the men were to believe her she needed to seem calm and collected.

"What did you say?" the short one roared, going for his sword.

The tall guard stepped forward, putting out his arm to stop the shorter one, "Abraxas, stop! You know our orders; we take every woman to her. She could be the messenger of Eli."

"Don't be stupid Phelix! She wouldn't be this close to our camp." Abraxas snapped.

"That is where you are wrong, I am the messenger of Eli, now take me to the Conqueror." Xena lied, smiling when she saw the shock on Abraxas' face.

Abraxas lurched towards Xena and grabbed her.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN**

**Thank you for all your reviews, they definitely help to keep you motivated! As do all the follows and favourites :) here is another short update for you! The next one should definitely be longer!**

**Enjoy**

...

Xena was being dragged through the woods by the greasy Abraxas and was struggling to hold in her laughter at the pathetic hold the man had on her, all she would have to do to get free was twist her arm slightly, but she resisted the urge. Abraxas was obviously very happy with himself, his face was contorted into an ugly sneer and his chest was swelling with pride, Xena was more interested in Phelix's reaction however, he kept shooting her worried side glances and looked glum.

To Xena's surprise they had walked at least two miles already and there didn't seem to be any sign of slowing down, this meant that she had been correct when setting up camp, she had been a few miles out of Gabrielle's camp but she had underestimated how far Gabrielle's scouts would go. This unnerved Xena, she rarely underestimated anybody.

It was as the moon was rising into the sky that Abraxas finally stopped, "I'm going to take her straight to the Conqueror, put our new horse with the others" he barked at Phelix.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take her?" Phelix asked hopefully.

"For you to take all the glory? No, I don't think so. Now take the horse and go away." Abraxas replied menacingly.

Phelix walked off with Argo, taking a track to their left that gently sloped downwards. The grip on Xena's arm tightened and Abraxas dragged her forwards, through a break in the trees. Xena was amazed at the sight before her, they were on the crest of a valley and nestled in that valley were hundreds of little tents lit up by at least thirty camp fires; that meant that there were at least three hundred soldiers down there. Abraxas saw the look of shock on Xena's face and smiled, "Impressive, isn't it messenger? How does it feel seeing the place that you are going to die? Come on, we are heading over there to the Conqueror" he said pointing at a large tent in the very centre of the huge camp.

They headed off down a sharp slope and by the time they reached the bottom Abraxas was panting heavily, his grip on Xena's arm clammy with sweat. Xena tried to hold in her impatience, he was walking far too slowly, Gabrielle was so close she could feel her.

Eventually they made their way to Gabrielle's tent, outside of which stood two guards who watched them approach with suspicion. "What do you want?" one of them called out to Abraxas.

"I found this woman a few miles south of here; she says she is the messenger of Eli." Abraxas said proudly, his chest swelling once more.

One of the guards stepped forward and grabbed Xena, "We will take her in. Now go back on your patrol."

Abraxas' chest rapidly deflated, "I captured her, I should take her into the Conqueror!" he whined.

Both guards laughed, "That's not how it works here; we outrank you so we get to give the Conqueror her prize. Now go away before we make you."

Abraxas glared at them both but turned on his heel and stormed off. Xena paid little attention to what was going on around her, she was straining towards the tent, desperate to get inside.

"Impatient to die?" one of the guards asked, noticing her movements, "We can help you with that!" he shoved Xena in front of him and marched her into the tent.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN**

**Thank you for all your reviews again! As promised this chapter is longer than my previous updates and I hope you enjoy it **

…**..**

"Conqueror, we have the messenger of Eli, we caught her for you" the guard holding Xena called into the tent. Xena was taking in her surroundings; even in her excitement to see Gabrielle she knew she needed an escape route. They were standing in a large square part of tent that was practically empty except for a large wooden desk in the middle. The wooden desk was covered with a map of the area and had little circles drawn all over it. Behind the desk hung a gauzy sheet of material which was obviously covering the entrance into Gabrielle's private quarters.

Xena could hear footsteps on the other side of the material and it took all her strength not to shake off the guards and go through it, instead she waited impatiently. She heard a female voice call out, "You had better be telling the truth, waking me otherwise would be foolish" and her heart rate increased, she could feel the palms of her hands sweating and she was struggling not to fidget. Finally, after what felt like a life time, Xena saw a shadow move behind the gauze and then the material was pushed aside and Gabrielle strode into the room.

Xenas heart skipped a beat and adrenaline rushed through her body as she took in every tiny detail of Gabrielle. Gabrielle looked the exact same as she had done in Jappa, her green eyes looked warm and welcoming and she was smiling gently at her. Xena heard a ringing in her ears and could feel a lump forming at the back of her throat. It had been five years since she has last seen Gabrielle, and now she was frozen, so shocked at her body's reaction to Gabrielle's presence that she couldn't move. She barely registered that Gabrielle was speaking to her.

She felt herself stumble towards Gabrielle, not conscious of the fact that she had just shaken off her guard, she just wanted to grab and hold her. She needed to tell Gabrielle how much she loved her, how much she had missed her. Xena felt like she was wading through thick honey, it was taking too long to reach Gabrielle, every step felt like a small victory.

She was a couple of footsteps from reaching out and pulling Gabrielle into a fierce hug when suddenly she was slapped, hard, across the face. The slap caused Xena to stumble slightly and bang into the desk. The shock snapped Xena back into reality; she looked up at Gabrielle while feeling her cheek and she realised her mistake. In her euphoria at seeing Gabrielle once more she hadn't taken in the differences in Gabrielle's appearance. Her eyes were not warm and welcoming as she had imagined, they were hard, cold and full of disgust. The smile wasn't gentle and loving; it was a sneer, a look Xena had never seen on Gabrielle's face before she died. Where Xena had seen a smooth left cheek, like she remembered, there was an angry red scar.

"Who are you?" Gabrielle asked, "You aren't the messenger of Eli, I have met her before, why would you lie?"

Xena felt like she had been slapped again, Gabrielle had no idea who she was. Even though Eve had warned her, Xena hadn't believed it. How could you forget your soul mate? The look on Gabrielle's face said it all; there wasn't even a flicker of recognition, just curiosity. "I'm Xena" she replied slowly, hoping that her name would jog a memory, but there was nothing.

"Xena? I've heard that name before; the messenger said you were her mother. She said a lot of things that weren't true though." Gabrielle replied questioningly.

"She can't be Xena" one of the guards piped up, "the Warrior Princess died years ago, my parents told me the stories."

Gabrielle barely spared her guard a glance, "Death isn't always permanent" she said slowly, "Leave us now and go back to your duties."

"Are you sure you want us to leave you alone with her?" the braver guard of the two asked.

Gabrielle's head snapped up to glare at the two guards, her eyes spitting fire, "Do you really believe I can't handle an unarmed woman on my own? Even if I can't what do you think you could do about it? Do YOU think you are a bigger threat than ME?"

"N...no Conqueror, I...I did…didn't mean anything by it. I'm sorry, please forgive me" he stammered quickly.

Gabrielle smiled cruelly, "Leave us, NOW!"

Xena watched as both guards darted out of the tent, she was amazed at how much fear her little Gabrielle could provoke.

"You look a lot like the messenger, are you really her mother?" Gabrielle inquired calmly.

"Yes I am her mother, though I didn't raise her for very long" Xena replied, searching Gabrielle's face for a sign of the woman she loved.

"Interesting. So you were brought back from the dead? Why?" she said softly.

Xena couldn't find any of her Gabrielle in this Gabrielle's hard features, blinking back tears she replied, "I'm here to protect my daughter and all the followers of Eli."

Gabrielle threw back her head and laughed, "So you are here to stop me? How do you plan on doing that? You have no weapons, or any back up and I have both. The only reason you aren't dead yet is that you know where I can find the real messenger of Eli."

"I didn't come here to hurt you, I just needed to know why you are doing this, and I wanted to see if you remembered me." Xena said quietly.

"Remember you? Why would I remember you?" Gabrielle replied nastily.

The puzzled look on Gabrielle's face broke Xena's heart; she had still been hoping that Gabrielle had been faking her memory loss.

"Answer me, why should I remember you?" Gabrielle demanded.

"Why are you hunting the followers of Eli?" Xena retorted.

Gabrielle gave her a measured look, "They are vermin, spreading their messages of peace and love like fleas. Peace and love and have no place here, it is an insult to my God!"

"God? Who's your God?" Xena asked excitedly.

"I'm not answering anymore of your questions until you answer mine; you seem to forget that you are the prisoner here, not me!" Gabrielle screeched angrily.

"I think we are done here then" Xena smiled at Gabrielle's confused look and, before she could react, darted out of the tent and barrelled her way past the guards.

"STOP HER" she heard Gabrielle scream, but the element of surprise had given Xena a huge advantage. She was already half way across the camp before anyone had realised who it was they were supposed to stop. She whistled for Argo hoping that the horse wasn't tethered and darted behind another tent. She could see a large contingent of men waiting for her at the edge of the camp and cursed. She darted right hoping to go around them, only to be headed off by another group of soldiers, she span around and there were more soldiers wherever she looked. She was cornered.

"Do not kill her! I need her" Gabrielle screamed from somewhere behind her.

Xena whistled once more and was relieved to hear thundering hooves to her left. She span around and was amazed at the sight she saw, Argo was making her way through the crowd towards her with Phelix on her back who was kicking out at the men who were trying to halt her progress. In a few seconds they had reached the centre of the circle and he threw his arm out to Xena which she gripped gratefully, and threw herself up onto Argo. As Argo barrelled her way back out of the group Xena twisted in her seat to see Gabrielle screaming with fury, but Xena was happy. She had a lead, a God was involved, and if there was something Xena was good at dealing with it was Gods.


End file.
